American Dreamz

Directed by Paul Weitz

Universal Pictures

3.5 stars



“American dreamz….dreams, with a z,” is the theme song of the hyper-popular, American Idol-esque reality TV show “American Dreamz,” from which this light and funny new satire of American life written, produced, and directed by Paul Weitz (“In Good Company,” “About a Boy,” and “American Pie”) gets its title.

The ridiculousness of the song should give a sense of the SNL-like quality of the movie, which revels in its hilarious and biting satire of American life. The movie parodies everything from terrorists to America’s fixation with reality television, from middle-American earnestness to the current Bush administration. But what makes this movie really entertaining is the secret admiration it has for all of the values it pokes fun at; especially its love for the greedy American stereotype it eviscerates, epitomized by Martin Tweed (Hugh Grant), the Simon Cowell/Ryan Seacrest-hybrid host of “American Dreamz,” who is one of the movie’s highlights.

Dennis Quaid plays President Stanton, a dead-ringer for George W. Bush, who wears a constant expression of befuddlement on his face and offers pearls of wisdom like, “Hey, did you know there’s two kinds of Iraqistanies?” and “I’m not going out there, G-darnit!”

Stanton, who is played by Quaid as borderline retarded, is manipulated by the evil Chief of Staff/Vice-President and Dick Cheney look alike Sutter (played with aplomb by Willem Dafoe). He is so in control of the President that he tells him everything he must say through a small earpiece.

The President questions what Sutter and his administration have told him when he wakes up one morning and decides for the first time ever, to read the newspaper. Saying, “Some things that seemed black and white are starting to seem a little more gray,” Quaid’s President Stanton goes into nervous breakdown mode, refusing to speak to the media. In an effort to get Stanton’s approval ratings up, Sutter books the President to be a guest judge on the final episode of “American Dreamz.”

Unfortunately for the President, one of the finalists on the show is Omar, a terrorist who happens to love show tunes, and who is performing on the show only so that he can blow up himself and the President in the show’s finale. Throw in Mandy Moore, a “white trash” contestant whose all sugar on top but conniving-as-hell underneath, and her earnest-but-dumb boyfriend, played wonderfully by Chris Klein, and the storyline is set for a stunning finale.

What makes this movie so fun to watch is that Weitz can’t help feeling for all the “bad guys” he criticizes and for the American culture he wants to skewer. His President Bush is a likeable moron; his terrorist characters are portrayed in the same comical way that we are used to seeing murderous Mafioses portrayed in movies.

Many audience members may not quite be ready for the loving jokiness Weitz displays towards his terrorist characters, and perhaps understandably so. In one of the film’s first shots of a terrorist training camp, the terrorists are shooting a training video for recruitment purposes. “Let’s shoot this puppy!” enthuses the director, in a fake, exaggerated Middle-eastern accent.

Later, the terrorists watch spellbound as Omar wins successive elimination rounds on “American Dreamz.” In the last round, we see them nervously singing along with Omar, hoping he doesn’t mess up— as one of the terrorists mutters, “Go Omar, go,” he seems more akin to a Midwestern housewife addicted to Kelly Clarkson than a bloodthirsty fanatic. The best character in the movie is Iqbal (played by Tony Yalda), Omar’s flamboyant cousin—a Middle Eastern second-generation immigrant who has become completely Americanized in the Beverly Hills mold.

Weitz knows he’s being ridiculous (or at least, one hopes he does), but in this self-conscious political incorrectness lies the movies marvelous humor. If you aren’t afraid to laugh at yourself, this is a movie not to be missed.

Bottom Line: This light, funny satire works because it doesn’t take its own criticisms too seriously.

—Reviewer Dina Guzovsky can be reached at dguzovsk@fas.harvard.edu.